Twelve hours before our flight to El Nido, Palawan, I was lying on my bed irritated of the noise of the heavy downpour that’s been going on for several days. I got up. I checked the outside world from the window. Still quite flooded outside, but not as worse as it was earlier when it looked like a water world mess.

Pinagbuyutan Island, El Nido, Palawan

The trip that I have been most excited about for the past few months finally came. On a bad weather and all. I thought of just cancelling the entire trip. Four hours later and power was out. Great. At least, the rain finally stopped. At that point, when the weather looked calm again, the travelust in me was starting to kick in. I wanted to go.

For several hours I was just weighing my dilemma: in this unpredictable weather, shall I go and take the risk or stay home and let the bad weather (and my pre-booked flight) pass? Heck. I cannot sit still.

I chose to pursue El Nido.

en route to El Nido

At 6 in the morning the following day, we were already in the boarding area waiting for the plane that will take us to Palawan, a place where it’s always summer in my mind. Mr. Sun was playing hide and seek, but I did not care, the crazy weather has already taken away two good weeks from me.

Six-hour ride from Puerto Princesa to El Nido and the El Nido that greeted us was just gloomy.

The massive rock in the heart of the town was covered with gray clouds, road was wet; and a little later, it rained. I never pictured El Nido this way. It was always summer in El Nido in pictures and magazines and in my mind.

When we finally settled in our hostel, we were constantly looking at the clouds passing by Cadlao Island. We were constantly checking on how fast the clouds were passing by, and we’re hoping that by tomorrow all the gray clouds were gone leaving us with nothing but blue skies above. Until we got hungry. We went out to eat at Art Cafe. It was raining the entire dinner. Before we called it a night, the rain finally stopped. The whole night was peaceful.

Morning scene from our hostel’s balcony

The next day was planned for island hopping tour A&C. But since our boatmen were doubting the moods of the weather, they honestly told us that it would not be possible to do tour C. Disappointed and all, yet we agreed.

First stop was Seven Commando Beach. White fine sand and clear waters. Albeit not so blue because the supposedly blue sky was all covered with thick layers of clouds, not a spot of blue can be seen. There were seaweeds on the shore. I got interested with something colorful from among the seaweeds that looked like plastic flowers. Our guide said those were flowers of mangroves. I never knew they got flowers! He said the shore was not always like that. The scattered seaweeds were just carried by the waves since it has also been raining for days in El Nido.

mangrove flower

Nonetheless, one cannot deny the beauty of that beach place. Tall coconut trees are swaying in the background. The water is inviting even on a gloomy day. It still has that gradient of clear to turquoise to blue to deep blue. Bubbles of soft waves caressing the shore makes me forget all about the overcast sky. No summery shot of this beach, but its summer vibe is still alluring.

beach gal at Seven Commando Beach

at Seven Commando Beach

The small lagoon reminded me very much of Coron’s Twin Lagoon. It was drizzling when we reached this spot but we went on snorkeling and swimming and exploring the cave at its end. It wasn’t clear under the water, and fishes were quite shy (or afraid to get wet, duh, it was drizzling, silly!)

On again to the boat. The drizzling stopped, yet the thick white clouds awhile ago were now getting gray. We passed by Miniloc Island Resort, a high-end island resort owned by El Nido Resorts. They’re floating cabanas cost 20k per night, a price way too hefty for a budget traveler like me. To see the pure and raw beauty of El Nido although billeted in a budget accommodation is more than ok to me. But to stay in some cool resort such as El Nido Island Resorts for free, well, who am I too get so choosy, yah?

this view during lunch

We stayed for lunch on an island I forget the name of. Food prepared by our boatmen were all delicioso. Having fresh seafood and tropical fruits on an island is always a delightful experience for me. And I think boatmen in El Nido have also mastered the culinary art of plating and food presentation.

And it rained. Right after we refueled in preparation for our next destination, it rained. Hard. It seemed like it was not going to stop any time soon, so we stayed under the big rocks while we watched how thick gray clouds carrying heavy rain move fast, from the open sea to behind the karsts, tagging along with the rain were gusts of wind.

It took a while. A while longer, actually, that I though we’re gonna be stuck in that small pocket of beach, under the huge rocks. So our group hopped on to the boat again. Because the weather was more moody than a woman having PMS and was casting tantrums everywhere that day, our boatmen disappointingly told us that our next stop would be the last destination for the day. And it rained again.

You won’t believe the color of the water as we approached the big lagoon.

’twas raining at the Big Lagoon

The gray skies did not dim the glowing turquoise water of the Big Lagoon. Imagine if it were summer. It could have been otherworldly with its color highlighted by the blue sky. The water is so clear, so clean. We stayed here for snorkeling. Manong boatman toured us while we hang on to the round salva vida, because we cannot swim. Hahah.

And it rained again. So we called it a day, still happy that we were able to feel El Nido in a different way, and thankful that we are on paradise amidst the threats of habagat.

Back in town, we tried the famous Balinsasayaw Soup, just for the sake of having a taste of it. The A-grade soup, as they classify it, does not come in cheap. I believe the main reason it is expensive is because people who gather the nests risk their lives climbing on cliffs and caves just to get them. These nests are made of the saliva of a bird called Balinsasayaw–so your soup’s main ingredient is the bird’s saliva!

Our main agenda the next day is to visit the Nacpan-Calitang Twin Beach, and eat lobsters. 🙂

morning scene from our hostel’s roof deck – day 2

We got a pretty nice morning sun as we journey via tricycle to Nacpan. Lo and behold! It rained just when we were about to climb the hill for a full view of the twin beaches. Not that I hate the rain so much, but seriously? On this perfect timing? It rained for an hour and we were under a big boat for shelter. We chatted with our guide the whole time. Our tour guide is one nice fella, full of life’s wisdom at a young age. He doesn’t want to trade the life he has in El Nido to a life in the city. I wouldn’t trade mine too if I were living in such a paradise. And, hey, real properties in El Nido are cheap compared to some square meter of a property that costs a fortune in the city!

gloomy day at Nacpan Beach

Nacpan Beach, overlooking Manny Pacquiao’s island

It’s past lunch time and the rain has not stopped yet, so we forgo the dream of capturing the twin beaches on top of the hill and gave in to the rumblings of our stomach. We have seen it with our own eyes anyway, we felt the gusts of wind coming from Nacpan and Calitang, we were on the middle of the twin beaches! So off we went back to our tricycle, wet and all from the rain. We stopped by Kyla’s canteen where we left the lobsters we brought earlier to cook. We ordered prawns and grilled pork chops too. The lobster was really yummy and the prawns were tasty. It maybe just me or pork in El Nido does taste differently, in a really good way.

lobsters for Php650 a kilo

cooked at Kyla’s Canteen in Nacpan

We headed back to El Nido Town after the hearty meal at Kyla’s. No sunset to chase, but still a glorious view of Cadlao Island at the end of the day.

Cadlao Island in the background

Day 3:
We’re all set to go back to Puerto Princesa and book for the Underground River Cruise. Our minds were set that we will just go back to El Nido one day (or for one week) to enjoy island hopping when the sun is not playing hide and seek with us and is capable to burn our skin.

sunshine at last!

But I wont leave El Nido without experiencing The Alternative Restaurant’s nest-lounge. Well, the “nests” were wet. It rained last night. So we just had breakfast inside the The Alternative. Nevertheless, we got this grand view of Cadlao Island while having breakfast:

breakfast anyone?

the “nest” at The Alternative Restaurant

The sun was pakitang gilas that day. It was shining! The clouds were clearing up. I could see the blue sky again. On the day we were about to leave. So we dropped all our things back in the hostel and went on another islands tour. Hahah. The day was promising to be as sunny as a summer day could be. I couldn’t let pass setting foot on that famous sand bar of Snake Island!

So off we hopped on the outrigger boat and head on for Tour B!

We passed by huge karsts as we sail on. It was reminiscent of Coron Island. The diffence is that, karsts in El Nido will dwarf you. They are bigger than those in Coron. Breath-taking.

karsts and turquoise water

blue skies at Pinagbuyutan Island

Pinagbuyutan Island was the first island we set foot on that day. This island, aside from its natural charm and awesomeness has become famous because this was where one season of the well-known show, The Survivor, was held. During the entire stay of the cast and crew of the show, the whole island was closed for tourists for a couple of months.

Pinagbuyutan Island from afar

jackinetic at Pinagbuyutan Island

adventure is out there!

There are 45 islands and islets in El Nido, each one is unique from the other. Gorgeous pockets of white sand amongst the huge limestone cliffs. And here is but one beach scene from one of the islands.

El Nido Beach Scene

probably the caves where balinsasayaw nests are harvested

When our boatmen announced our next destination, I got excited! I only see this loooong sand bar of Snake Island in pictures and just daydream about walking on it! We arrived at Snake Island a little late for low tide. More than half of the sand bar was already covered by the rising water. Nonethless, it was still awesome! A long stretch of sandbar from one island to another curving a little that it mimics the movement of a snake, hence the name: Snake Island. Haha. I learned something from our tour guide: Sandbars are formed when waves from opposite direction collides in the middle. The sediments deposited in the middle creates the sandbar. I never gave it a thought before, but sandbars always make me ecstatic! Hahah.

Snake Island

jackinetic at snake island

Dark clouds were beginning to form, posing a threat of a heavy rain, yet again. So just before the dark clouds were blown to our direction, we sailed on. I was amazed as I watched the down pour on the side where the dark clouds are, while sun was shining at the far side.

heavy rain coming at Snake Island

nemo and dad

We settled near Entalula Island to snorkel and swim. It started to rain, but for all I care, I love the rain after all. It made me feel El Nido in a different way. So I lay there, floating and felt the raindrops on my face. 🙂

overlooking Entalula Island

Yes, we missed a lot in our original itinerary. But, no, we didn’t let the PMS-ing weather stop us from enjoying El Nido. I still wish to go back though, since we have a lot of unfinished business, El Nido. You didn’t let me abuse my camera for Tour C where all your hidden and secret beauty are tucked in!

Well, what can I say, I am one persistent lass.

-persistence-

Back home, the sun was up and shining as if it were summer. Well, almost.

Summer seemed endless during our third day of island hopping in Coron. A two-hour boat ride took us to islands a little farther from Coron Island. Each island has its own charm. Fully charged with continental and american breakfast from Coron Vilage Lodge and off we go island hopping, embracing summer time.

The first island was Bulog Dos. Bulog means bald, but it wasn’t bald at all when we saw this pretty, little island. It is the smallest of the 3 islands.

approaching Bulog Dos

turquoise waters of Bulog Island

We were like 7-year old kids as soon as our feet touched the pristine shallow waters of the island. There’s supposed to be a sandbar leading to the nearby island, but it was still too early for low tide. Nonetheless, we enjoyed how far we walked from the shore yet the water is still ankle-deep. Banana Island can be seen from here too.

At the left side is Malaroyroy Island where newly constructed concrete cottages are noticeable. It’s the Two Seasons Coron. It is probably a high-end resort in the making, but the island surely looked nicer when it was still bare, untouched by any developments—naturele, unspoiled, with ubiquity of various shells and corals, and an unobstructed view of the azul horizon.

row of concrete cottages seen on the left side

the other side of Bulog Dos

The water is crystal clear. Under water are various fishes and corals. And we just couldn’t get enough of running back and forth on the sandbar covered by ankle-deep water. It was like walking on waters.

rocky shores of Bulog Dos Island

Banana Island looked so near from here

After running and swimming and splashing, off we went to another gorgeous island—Banana Island. It’s in Bulalacao, Coron, Palawan. It does not really look like a banana to me, but it is one real summer place. It has the whitest sand and is my favorite among the 3 islands of the day.

approaching Banana Island

Coconut trees and hammocks are everywhere. It instantly became my favorite because of the hammocks, actually. A little off the shore, the ground is covered with bermuda grass where I rolled over. Nah, I lied down and gazed at the leaves of the coconut trees being swayed by the summer breeze—very relaxing!

We stayed here for lunch. Lunch prepared by our boatmen was delicious. I loved the shrimps! They taste different in Palawan, eh? Very tasty and juicy. After a couple of minute-food coma (blame the siesta-inviting hammocks), we explored the island. It sure felt summer time as the heat of the sun was starting to get intense. Thank God for the rows and rows of coconut trees that offered us shade.

lunch and siesta

There were only 3 groups of tourists, including ours, in Banana Island at that time. This is my kind of beach place, not too crowded, not too commercialized. It reminded me of the many memories of my childhood on the beach. Well, beaches near our place today are not as good as they were back then.

And because jump/levitation shots are just really fun to do, we exhausted ourselves jumping dozens of times just to get non-fool looking jumpshots. Water current at the other side of the island is a bit strong. Yet, it didn’t stop us from exploring what’s under water. The sea floor from where we chose to snorkel is quite rocky. Most parts of the island, however, are covered by fine white sand. There were lots of fishes too!

jump/levitation shot 😀

The sun was unforgiving when we arrived at Malacapuya, but the irresistible charm of this island would just make anyone want to bask in the sun all day.

view from the cliff: the other side of Malcapuya Island

It has the longest stretch of beach area. We got a chance to meet the owner of this gorgeous island, too. He’s a simple-looking man.

It was in this beach place where we found the most number of starfishes and sand dollars. I only see sand dollars in pictures!

a sand dollar

The picturesque view from the cliff was made more romantic by the presence of these lovers. They seemed to be in their “secret place”. What can I say? Date spots are sure more fun in the Philippines! 🙂

It’s romantic, actually— edge-of-the-cliff rendezvous with your lover with a grand view of the azul horizon!haha!

pronouncing thine love at the edge of the cliff, with the sky, the mountains and the sea as witnesses 😉

azul horizon

Bulog Dos Island seen afar

The summer heat was getting more scorching. So we descended and decided to see the sandbar before going back to town. On our way to the sandbar, a dog came along with us and he led the way to the sandbar.

the dog that led us to the sandbar of Malcapuya

It was still high tide and only a small portion of the sandbar can be seen. Nevertheless, we were amazed by the dog that accompanied us all the way to the sandbar and back to our boat. Smart boy!

the dog seemed showing us where the sandbar is

lucky dog, living in a gorgeous island

one last look at Malcapuya Island

Back on our boat, tired, sun burnt and all, my heart felt like breaking as I realized it’s the end of the tour. I didn’t want to leave, but of course we had to go back to beloved jobs and bosses. But I knew right then that this is just the beginning of my love affair with Palawan. 🙂

The aerial view of Coron was fantastic! As our propeller plane touched down Busuanga airport, infinite mountain ranges welcomed us. No other structure but the airport. And we were like “umm.. how do we get to Kayangan Lake?” It was a 45-minute ride from Busuanga Airport to Coron Town, passing wooden bridges, vast green fields and herds and herds of cows, then we realized we were at that time far from home and a great adventure is about to begin.

vast land

herd of cows

Coron town is very laid back, lifestyle is very simple, and people are nice; plus it is just a boat ride away from Coron Island where all the magical places are tucked in carefully behind amazing rock formations and limestone walls. Coron Town is that kind of place where you can stroll in the morning in your pajamas or and walk alone at night with no worries. It’s one of the friendliest place in the country.

Coron Town

At Day 2, we explored Coron Island the whole day. I’d run out of adjectives to describe the island. I was mesmerized, enchanted… I felt like I could stay there forever. Haha!

off to explore Coron Island

For non-swimmers like us, the life vests were our best friends the entire day since there’s not one snorkeling site where our feet could still touch the sea floor (as in Balicasag in Bohol where snorkeling site is non-swimmer friendly :)). Nonetheless, we enjoyed playing with the fishes that frenzied over the bread we brought. Siete Pecados has the most number of various colorful fishes and corals among the snorkeling sites we visited that day. We even encountered a sea snake here. Scary, I must say, because I read somewhere that it is one venomous snake. Funny though that our adrenalin got us extra fast to hurry our asses up to get away from it.

The only major let down in this trip was that we didn’t have an underwater camera to capture the details of the fantasy-like world underneath.

entrance to Kayangan Lake

I think the highlight of every Coron Island Tour is the visit to Kayangan Lake. And it is true for us. The change in the color of the water was noticeable when our boat reached the entrance to Kayangan Lake. From deep blue, the water slowly gets emerald green to turquoise. A short (but still tiring) trek was needed to reach the viewing cliff. The trail was rugged and uneven. From the cliff is where you can see the most photographed spot in Coron, it is also where you can see boats coming and going, and anyone can tell, more and more people are really getting mesmerized by this island.

turquoise waters of Kayangan Lake

row, row, row your boats 🙂

jaded mountains and turquoise waters of Kayangan Lake

After a few souvenir shots, we descended to experience the lake’s pristine waters. I can say it is the cleanest body of water I’ve ever swam to (or floated, with life vest on). I almost forgot I cannot swim as we explored the lake from here to there. The water is very clear. Thin, blue fishes and shrimps are plenty. There are sharp rock formations under water, some form caves that look creepy; at some point, my imagination got me thinking that some creature might pull me down any given moment. The lake is very tranquil. It was such a perfect day—the weather, the sun, the water, the jaded mountains, the people enjoying the lake, life and nature at its best. Paraiso! It’s no wonder why the Tagbanuas consider this a sacred place. It is very peaceful and mysterious at the same time. We stayed here the longest among the other destinations of the day. I actually didn’t want to leave.

thin, blue fishes

We never bothered to check the time. Time doesn’t exist in such a place. But nature calls, and our stomachs started to complain. So off we went to Banol Beach to have lunch, prepared by our boatmen. It was a gastronomic meal on a gorgeous tiny beach with amazing rock formations. I liked the feel of fine white sand beneath my feet while enjoying my seafood. Right after meal, I grabbed my camera to take pictures of the place.

rock formations at Banol Beach

one summer day at Banol Beach

Next stop was a sunken vessel, the Skeleton Ship Wreck from World War II. I am now really getting hooked with real-life feeding frenzy than the wrist-tiring computer game. The water here is deep, but the foremost part of the battle ship is still visible. And do I need to say it again? Fishes and corals are oooh! plenty!

a tiny summer place spotted while on our way to the Skeleton Shipwreck

The look of the ship gave me goosebumps because I was thinking if there were human skeletons left inside the sunken vessel. Ah! my craze imaginations. After exhausting ourselves snorkeling and feeding the fishes, we went to yet another breath-taking destination.

beneath us is the sunken battleship from WWII

Our last destination for the day was the Twin Lagoon. The stretch of rock formations here are longer, quite darker and more jagged than the earlier ones we’ve seen. We’re just in time for low tide because we can see the tiny entrance to the lagoon. Come high tide and our chances to experience entering the lagoon through the tiny cave-like opening would be gone, as one would have to go through the ladders instead when water is covering the opening. I prefer to enter swimming through the cave than climbing up the ladder.

the Twin Lagoon

And so I finally understood why people who have been here said that this part has weird waters. As we were passing through the small cave-like opening, we started to feel the weird waters. From my waistline up to my neck, the water is cold; below my waistline down to my feet the water is warm. As we go further, we felt sudden currents of cold, sometimes warm, water beneath our feet. Like Kayangan Lake, this is also that point where seawater meets freshwater.; it’s a bit salty. Behind the limestone walls is another calm and serene atmosphere. I just let my self float, look up at the blue skies, and thanked God for a marvelous day that we have in this enchanting island. Later that day as we retreated to our hotel room in Coron Town, before I finally succumb to sleep, I remembered the beauty and tranquility Coron Island generously offered us that day. And I could not just imagine how differently beautiful and unspoiled the other parts of Coron Island are, as we have explored a only small portion of it. I wonder how many more breath-taking places are tuck behind those gigantic rock and limestone formations? What else is in that island? What IS in that island that makes me want to see more of it? I was hypnotized by some force of nature that’s probably taking care of the entire Coron Island. I was enchanted. It made me want to stay longer. Ah! I’m going back, that is a promise. Tour Coordinator: Leidy de OcampoGAMAT TRAVEL AND TOURS 09999936639

Trekking Mt. Pinatubo is still more difficult, but climbing up 700++ steps to reach the top of Mt. Tapyas is no joke. We could have just tick this off our itinerary and just head to Maquinit Spring right away, but a grand view of the sunset is too irresistible to put off.

the cross atop Mt. Tapyas

It was exhausting and dehydrating, but the view keeps getting better as we go higher. We took our time climbing up and stopped at every 50th or so step to catch our breaths. Oh, how I loved the fresh air and the spectacular view of Coron Bay!

600th step

After quite a while, we finally reached the top, finally we’re facing the huge cross that is seen from anywhere around Coron town. The view of Coron Bay is simply awesome. How the mountains were arranged formed an optical illusion of a face of a sleeping giant.

the sleeping giant

At the back side of the cross are golden grasses and a path that leads to a gazebo inviting you to spend the rest of the afternoon with your lover while watching the sun set, or just hang around by yourself and embrace your solitude. Looking further are mountain ranges, some covered by grasses turned golden brown by the season, which reminded me so much of the chocolate hills of Bohol.

“Solitude”

romantic date spot with a grand view of the sunset atop Mount Tapyas

some wild fruit

Come golden hour, the haloed sun retreating and the colors it casts upon the vast sky is simply breath-taking, inspiring, and could make anyone an instant poet.

haloed sun

700++ steps to see this is all worth it. When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator. — Mahatma Gandhi

700++ steps for a grand view of the world is totally worth the sweat! We sealed the day with a relaxing dip at Maquinit Hotspring. 🙂

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About the Author

She is a daring child of the world and a student of life; usually a wallflower in a crowd but a confidante for friends; behind a desk on weekdays and an explorer on weekends.

She is a dreamer and a believer of her dreams. It surprises her that she learns the most important (and interesting) lessons in life whenever she's off to unfamiliar places. She is in love with life and good light.

In this corner of the world wide web is where she keeps her personal collection of memories, places, thoughts, dreams and life's sweet treats. :)

*Photos and content posted in this personal blog are original works of Jacky Barnayha. The author holds all the rights of all photographs herein. Do not use the images without permission.